One Million Nutrient Grants Provided to At-Risk Children and Mothers in Need Via SmartyPants Vitamins / Vitamin Angels 1-for-1 Nutrient Grant Program

One Million Nutrient Grants Provided to At-Risk Children and Mothers in Need Via SmartyPants Vitamins / Vitamin Angels 1-for-1 Nutrient Grant Program

June 22, 2015

With every bottle purchased, SmartyPants customers are helping Vitamin Angels end undernutrition in the U.S. and abroad

MARINA DEL REY, Calif., June 22, 2015 /PR Newswire/ — Every year, 157,000 lives worldwide are lost due to undernutrition or “hidden hunger,” a lack of micronutrients affecting millions worldwide that can lead to disease and even death.1 In fact, 45% of all childhood deaths are attributable to undernutrition and approximately 350,000 individuals are left blind because they are not receiving essential vitamins.1

In response to this widespread, life-threatening condition, SmartyPants Vitamins joined hands with Vitamin Angels in 2011 to help end undernutrition for underserved women and children. Today, the company is delighted to announce that its 1•for•1 nutrient grant program has supported the delivery of more than one million grants to those in the U.S. and abroad who are suffering from undernutrition in the form of vitamin A deficiency. Vitamin A supplementation was recently ranked by the Copenhagen Consensus, a group of world-renowned economists, as the top international priority for addressing the world’s greatest global development challenges.2

“SmartyPants is committed to its partnership with Vitamin Angels because we want to be accountable to those who would most likely benefit but can least afford supplementation,” said Courtney Nichols Gould, CoFounder and CoCEO of SmartyPants Vitamins. “When we started SmartyPants in 2009, we recognized an opportunity to help people in need live longer, healthier, more productive lives. We want people to choose SmartyPants because it’s one of the highest quality products on the market, but we are proud that their purchase also helps solves real world problems.”

Approximately two billion people globally are deficient in essential nutrients.1 Alleviating micronutrient deficiencies is an important goal because the consequences are devastating. Chronically undernourished children suffer a number of health problems that can lead to life-threatening conditions, as well as a number of problems later in life, including impaired physical and cognitive development, poor performance in school and decreased earning potential performance as adults.1 Vitamin Angels’ international vitamin A program dramatically decreases mortality rates in hard to reach areas targeted by the program.

“An estimated 190 million children under five suffer from vitamin A deficiency, a major underlying cause of child mortality,” said Howard Schiffer, President and Founder, Vitamin Angels. “With the help of SmartyPants Vitamins, and private donations from those passionate about improving lives with a simple donation, we can reduce under-five child mortality by about 24% in at-risk populations. Making vitamins available to children in need is the most immediate and cost-effective way to create a healthier world.”

Recently, SmartyPants Vitamins joined Vitamin Angels in Peru to meet some of the children and women benefitting from their support. A video of the philanthropic journey with SmartyPants Vitamins CoFounder and CoCEO, Courtney Nichols Gould, and her mother, Barbara Nichols, can be seen here.

In addition, a beautifully produced video showing the smiling faces of children worldwide who have benefited from the company’s proud support of Vitamin Angels can be seen here.

About SmartyPants Vitamins At SmartyPants Vitamins we are all about simplifying health. That’s why we make the Good Gummy, delicious and premium all-in-one complete gummy vitamins that combine nutrients like Omega 3s, soluble fiber, Vitamins D + B12, those that are toughest to get in the right amount from our diets. All SmartyPants are non-GMO and made from organic and eco friendly ingredients. They contain no synthetic colors, artificial flavors, sweeteners or preservatives and every batch is 3rd-party lab tested. Founded by concerned parents and leading health practitioners, SmartyPants are so delicious that you will never forget to take your vitamins again. For each bottle of SmartyPants sold, we make a 1•for•1 nutrient grant to a child in need through our partnership with Vitamin Angels. All in One. One for All. It’s All Good! For more information, please visit SmartyPantsVitamins.com.

Vitamin Angels Vitamin Angels helps at-risk populations in need—specifically pregnant women, new mothers, and children under five—gain access to lifesaving and life changing vitamins and minerals. Vitamin Angels works to reach underserved communities in partnership with over 700 NGOs in almost every U.S. state and more than 50 countries around the world. Vitamin Angels has received seven consecutive four-star ratings from Charity Navigator for Financial Health, Accountability and Transparency. To learn more, visit www.vitaminangels.org.